Find out how popular the last name Jillson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jillson.

Jillson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jillson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jillson in America

Jillson is the 27260th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jillson surname appeared 887 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jillson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jillson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jillson

The surname Jillson is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Giles. Giles was a popular name during the Middle Ages, believed to have originated from the Greek name Aegidios or the Old French form Gille.

The surname Jillson first emerged in the 12th century as a patronymic name, meaning "son of Giles." It was commonly found in areas such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk in England. The earliest recorded spelling variations include Gilson, Gillson, and Gylson.

One of the earliest known references to the name Jillson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain Robert Gillesone is mentioned. Another early record is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire in 1205, which mentions a William Gilesone.

In the 14th century, the surname Jillson appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, with a John Gilson being recorded in 1327. The Hundred Rolls of Norfolk from 1273 also mention a Walter Gyllesone.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Jillson throughout history include:

1. William Jillson (born c. 1595), an English settler who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century and is considered one of the founding families of Cumberland, Rhode Island.

2. James Jillson (1778-1855), an American businessman and philanthropist from Rhode Island, who was a prominent figure in the textile industry and donated funds for the establishment of schools and libraries.

3. Willard Jillson (1817-1893), an American politician from Vermont who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1865.

4. Benjamin Jillson (1824-1898), an American Civil War soldier who fought for the Union Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Battle of Gettysburg.

5. Emily Jillson (1878-1962), an American educator and suffragist from Massachusetts, who was actively involved in the women's suffrage movement and served as the president of the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association.

While the surname Jillson has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in North America, where many early settlers with this name established themselves.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jillson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jillson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jillson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jillson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jillson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jillson, please contact us.

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